Publisher's Summary

A moving and revealing exploration of Hasidic life and one man's struggles with faith, family, and community.

Shulem Deen was raised to believe that questions are dangerous. As a member of the Skverers, one of the most insular Hasidic sects in the US, he knows little about the outside world - only that it is to be shunned. His marriage at 18 is arranged, and several children soon follow.

Deen's first transgression - turning on the radio - is small, but his curiosity leads him to the library and, later, the Internet. Soon he begins a feverish inquiry into the tenets of his religious beliefs until, several years later, his faith unravels entirely. Now a heretic, he fears being discovered and ostracized from the only world he knows. His relationship with his family at stake, he is forced into a life of deception and begins a long struggle to hold on to those he loves most: his five children.

In All Who Go Do Not Return, Deen bravely traces his harrowing loss of faith while offering an illuminating look at a highly secretive world.

I am grateful to Shulem Deen for writing this book, for choosing to describe the experiences that led him to have to leave a community that, while full of love and faith, would not allow him full autonomy in love or faith or the seeking of knowledge and personal fulfilment. As someone who left a more permissive community and lost my faith for similar reasons to Shulem, and has only recently regained it in a more free form, I am immensely grateful to him for writing everything he wrote. This book made me feel less alone. I hope it helps people of faith and without faith understand the experience of losing faith and losing community, so that we can build better communities in future.

I'd quibble with the Publisher's Summary on the Audible page, because I didn't come away from the book feeling like Shulem was "raised to believe that questions are dangerous." It sounded/read to me that he chose, for very personal reasons, in his teen and early adult years, to join a community that believed that questions are dangerous. And that this was the community he was married and had a family in.

The trajectory of his loss of belief is a very tragically beautiful read, as he desperately looks for answers to the questions that his community doesn't want him to ask. He seems to have specific answers in mind that he needs to hear, and when he doesn't get the answers he wants, he takes it very hard.

The tragedy is in the community's response, and what happened with his exwife and his children in response to his personal evolution. The beauty is in his birth family's (his mother's and his siblings') unconditional love and acceptance, as they remain believers (notably not in the same community that he chose to live in).

The audio performance is very well done.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Rob

20/11/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"very moving book"

this book was very insightful and moving. I laughed, I cried, I wanted to read it again right away.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Reina S.B.

Mexico D.F.

3/10/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"A must"

For anyone who wants to embark on a insight journey of beliefs and doubts on who do we want to be

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Lia E. Festenstein

16/08/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"lyrical, heartbreaking, understated"

Really lovely memoir about leaving the faith of his birth. Not only a story of leaving one's faith, but also a story of becoming a full time aware adult.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Ezra Bavly

NYC. NY

17/06/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"5 stars plus"

One of the best books I've read in years. Recommended to everyone. Very well written and read. (Found through unorthodox podcasts).

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Mareya

Okinawa

20/04/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Totally enthralled"

Where does All Who Go Do Not Return rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I was captivated from the start. Loved the narration, the poetry of the writing stayed with me. I listened to passages over and over. Beautiful

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

barbara e possenriede

9/04/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Deeply insightful"

Enjoyed this book and the very private insight into such a very secretive world. Disappointed at the conclusion - only because I had more questions than were answered.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Daniel

New York, NY, United States

7/04/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"What a book"

This book was great on so many levels. Insightful, heart-wrenching, well-written. What a story.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

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